Jessica Simpson: Ear-Candling So YOU Don’t Have To!

As regular, sporadic or even accidental listeners to our podcast might know, our very own Mike recently discovered ear candles lurking in the murky, unforgiving depths of Chester town centre. Dragged away from the peddler of this particular brand of dangerous crazy before he’d had a chance to a) ask why ear candles are on sale when they’re proven to be ineffective and ludicrously dangerous and b) stop the stupid burning his brain, Mike was left with only one option – rant about it on Skeptics With A K. I suspect being on the show is actually far more beneficial to Mike’s mental health than it is to our listeners’ entertainment levels.

Still, it got me wondering – how many people actually know anything about ear candles? How many people know what they are, what they’re meant to do, what they actually do, and why they’re crazy crazy crazy? Canvassing opinion around colleagues and friends, it seemed to my (entirely un-scientifically-small) survey that the number of people who’d even heard of them was pretty low, and amongst those it was a mixed response on whether ear candles are any good or not. Which is a bit disturbing, because – as I mentioned – they’re actually crazy crazy crazy. So I found myself trying to explain to these lovely folk what an ear candle is, and the potential for harm that it can do. ‘If only’, thought I at the time, ‘I had some kind of video where a well-known yet annoying-enough-not-to-mind-seeing-them-in-discomfort celebrity had filmed themselves using an ear candle, so I could show people how woo this crap really is (and how crap this woo really is), and they could be in equal parts informed and grossed-out’.

Well, this is Christmas after all – the time of the year that wishes really do come true. They do. Ask anyone that’s been on Noel’s Christmas Presents and they’ll tell you. Oh, plus I can tell you they do, because lo and indeed behold what the intertubes have presented us with:

I suppose, then, it’s a good job that the littlebabyJesus didn’t get given a dangerous and unproven quack therapy to play with then, and an equally good job that Jessica Simpson has did – she’s done something really stupid and dangerous, so you don’t have to. I suppose you could say this one’s her very own sacrifice for the good of mankind…

What was her deal in this video. Seemed like she was on something. Plus she was not doing it the right way. Ear candling should be taken with extreme caution because lets face it.. You are working with fire. Anyway, for more information and detail go to the following link

Just to be clear to our readers, not only is ear candling entirely ineffective, but it’s also very dangerous. Even when done the ‘right’ way, it has no possible positive effect and only the potential for great harm.

I was innocently passing my local pharmacy last week when what should catch my remaining eye but a list of ‘alternative therapies’ printed off, using the name of the pharmacy itself to trade under, and stuck to the door in intensely professional fashion.

Among the delights on offer were reiki, aromatherapy, hynposis – all mildly irksome – and then… then… wait for it!

Hopi Candles. 40 of your hard earned, unless you happen to be a banker, pounds can earn you, yes YOU, the once in a lifetime opportunity, dear passerby (yes it is, get over it), to have serious injury inflicted upon your person through an organisation you’d take to be part of the healthcare establishment.

That’s right folks. A pharmacy, under the control of a (or a cabal of) licensed pharmicist(s) is pushing ear candling at the trusting, infirm masses who shuffle through its doors.

Really? Great spot Allan. Maybe you should go in and have a chat to the pharmacist about it, and see if they justify selling these candles. I’d be interested to hear what they say, and I’m sure we’d happily print your findings.

I’m down in Welsh Wales until the new year, but I’ll document and interrogate the aforementioned purveyors of fine pharmaceutical and health-related treatmentrees (THESE are the money-growing ones, apparently) when I get back up that way.

Oh me, oh my… I wondered if this would be a one off, and so did a little search.. one tiny little looksee for “pharmacy hopi candles”, and realised i forget to add the ‘uk’ bit to try and narrow any results, but lo and behold the 5th result should catch my eye:

“Ear candles can help with the treatment of sinusitis, rhinitis, earwax, earache and irritation of the ears including tinnitus. It is also suitable for the treatment of headaches and migraines. It is not suitable for those with perforated eardrums, where grommets are in place or those who may have an allergy to the ingredients. It is a safe and gentle treatment for children.

Many clients find the treatment relaxing. As well as the relieved feeling that comes from reduced pressure in the ears and sinuses, clients may experience a general calming effect.

Hopi ear candles should not be used if there is any inflammation or infection in the ear and are not suitable for people who have had recent ear surgery, or those with ear grommets or tubes, perforated ear drums, or allergies to any of the products in the candle.

Anyone who is receiving medical treatment for any ear condition should always consult their doctor first. Some clients may experience headaches or light popping in the ears after treatment.”

A pharmacist. A ruddy PHARMACIST – one schooled in teh sighensez -dispensing NHS prescriptions, caring for the infirm while simultaneously pushing ear candles. Dear Universe, this is a ‘very special’ pharmacy indeed.

What else do these people do? Well, there’s the Reiki *ticks box*, the reflexology *ticks box*… I just need homeopathy for a line.. wasn’t there a homeopath on staff? oh look to the left…”Our Naturopath” *clicky, clicky*

:-O

“A Naturopath can use many diagnostic tools for ex. iridology, tongue & nail analysis to uncover the various causes of ill health, whether it is of physical or mental origin.

Sure, no problem – when put through clinical trials, it’s been shown that they don’t help reduce wax build ups, and often the wax coming from the candle can cause additional wax build up too. Proponents tend to point to the waxy residue left in the candle as proof that it works, but when you test a candle without putting it in someone’s ear, and just burn it in controlled conditions, the waxy residue is exactly the same. Testing the residue showed it was candle wax, not ear wax.

Even if we were to accept, despite the evidence to the contrary, that ear candles actually did have some sort of effect in warming, softening and removing problem ear wax – as the site you linked to on your name earlier suggests – we have a choice to make:

1) We can choose to warm, soften and remove the impacted ear wax with a proven, reliable and extremely safe method. Ear irrigation and olive oil.

2) We could choose to put a length of flaming hydrocarbons into our ears and risk all manner of burns or organic material drippage into the organ we wish to clear of a blockage.

So, if we discount the evidence from trials regarding the efficacy of ear candles and take that on blind faith and reported stories, we’re still left with a toss-up between two methods: A safe method and a dangerous method.

Now, back in reality – We Welcome Careful Breathers! – the choice is slightly different. Now we have even less difficulty… We choose between a very safe method that is proven effective and a dangerous method that has been demonstrated as ineffective.

Why are people so fucking stupid? Let them set fire to themselves. I am going to get normal birthday cake candles ‘the ones that relight when blown out’ and sell them as ear candles to see how fucking stupid people are. Especially when they start screaming!

Ear Candles definitely do not pull ear wax or anything else for that matter out of the ear. However, they do help with ear infections, colds, flus, congestion, sinusitis, etc.

The question is work for what and how? wdww.earcandling.infodwdww.harmonycone.comd. Websites like Quackwatch (which is paid by the medical monopoly) is correct in their assertions but just because ear candles do not pull ear wax out of the ears does not mean that they do not work.

Good for Jessica for thinking outside of the box and trying something new and different. I am sure she feels more open and clear Too bad she did not relax more. I hope she tries it again

Yeah! Those damn sciencey blabbermouths with their peer reviewed and evidence based stuff. They should be inside the tent pissing out. Come the revolution when we make pi 3, by law! No more decimals! Rebuke the metric system! I am 6’1″ NOT 185.42 cm. The line in the sand is drawn!

In my years of ear candling, along with research. A majority of people out there don’t actually know what ear candling is, and when doing research they find what I like to call the “Americanized” version of ear candling. The reality is that ear candling is an ancient method in balancing the mind body and soul, thus resulting in a relaxed and positive state of being. Aztecs, Mayans, Egyptians, etc… have been practicing this for thousands of years. Their version was to burn bundles of herbs and wave the smoke into the ear and the warmth of the smoke would go in and soothe ones ear ache, headache and so on. The blended aroma of the herbs aided in the calming and balancing of one’s state of mind. As the method had advanced, in Mexico, they used rolled up newspaper, and placed it in the outer ear. Then lit one end and that had become a newer form. Soon after is when someone took that same concept and modified it thus making the first ear candle. With this new ear candle method is where things began to change. The wax from the ear candle itself would melt to the bottom. Looking like what could easily be mistaken for ear wax was in fact melted wax from the ear candling process. This is where the “Americanized” version came about. Some super salesmen picked it up and ran with it. Salesmen: “Try out ear candling. Look at all the unicorns that come out of your ear” Made it believable that these things can suck out your ear wax.
That is why there are many people who think that ear candling doesn’t work. When in all reality, they don’t have the right facts. They really don’t understand the process.

Please note that I am not a doctor, nor am I a historian. I make no claims that the above literature is true or false. I am merely expressing my knowledge from personal experience and research.